Digging for Survival and/or Justice? The Drivers of Illegal Mining Activities in Western Ghana

Abstract

In Ghana, an artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activity called galamsey is considered illegal because operators have not formally registered their sites with the government. Because of recent cases of the involvement of non-Ghanaian nationals in this activity, the government has established the Inter-Ministerial Task Force Against Illegal Mining to curb its growth. However, this endeavor has failed to account for how the absence of socioeconomic safety nets in most mining communities has led many families, including children, into such a business. Drawing upon primary data gathered at Abosso, a galamsey site in the Western Region of Ghana, this article argues that until the underlying causes of socioeconomic marginalization and unemployment are properly addressed, the quest to regularize these operations will remain far-fetched.